George- Baton Rouge/ Bingo Hall- Tyler/Katie.

George shook his head and sighed."I don't believe anybody but you and your daughter has stepped foot near here since my group and I arrived. I would prefer not to talk about their fates in front of the girl... it wasn't very pleasant to say the least." He said in a solemn voice. George then explained the story about him wandering into the bingo hall in the middle of the night, and finding a hidden stash of supplies in the employees' room.

He unzipped a backpack and pulled a hard chocolate bar out from it, and began to nibble on a square. "Sir, I can only assume that it is just you and your daughter. If that is correct, I have a very... game changing request.". he said. He finished the square, and spoke again. "I would like to accompany you and your daughter. I have supplies. Food, water, ammunition, the whole nine yards. I would be willing to share all of that with you."

Jessalyn - Leaving Haywood

After a lot of arguing it was decided that Abram would be coming with her. Jess was torn on that front. In a way she glad to have the added eyes and gun, but she was also not very happy about who it was. She knew she shouldn't blame Abram, but in the back of her mind he was the reason she and Floyd got seperated. HE had insisted they leave without Floyd and then HE had been the one to refuse to go back for him. It was something she was going to have to work to get over, but it would take some time.
It wasn't just Abram's fault and she knew that. She also blamed herself for leaving Floyd behind. It was something that ate at her heart every day.

Baby Ben made a gurgling sound and she looked down at her little man. He was the only thing that could make her smile. When she looked at him, she felt her heart heal a bit. Everything she had gone through for him had been worth it the first time she'd held him in her arms. He was her world, but Floyd was her sun, moon and stars. She need him in her life, needed him to be with her and with Ben. In her mind Floyd was the perfect father figure for Ben. He wasn't perfect, but he tried and he had good values. His actions came from a good place. He was a good man. The kind of man she wanted her son to become.

"Shh," she told the baby, pressing a kiss to his forehead. They had only just left Haywood, but you never knew when a stray walker could be wandering around. Jess wondered why Abram had wanted to come with her. It was more dangerous traveling with her now then when she had been pregnant. It was highly likely he would attract walkers. You really couldn't control the sounds a baby made. Maybe he felt responsible for her. He hadn't been himself since Emma had left, perhaps he felt guilty about not being able to keep Daniel's sister with them. But it had been her choice and he couldn't control her.

Katie - Baton Rouge - Tyler/George

When the old man had appeared Katie had run to hide behind her daddy, scared of the gun in his hand. But soon it was clear that he would not hurt them, he even gave them water. Katie was very thirsty and it was hard not to drink more then a few sips. The water felt cool in her empty stomach.

When the old man took out a chocolate bar Katie's mouth nearly started watering. It had been a long time since she'd had chocolate. Her eyes stared at the candy wanting it so badly, but afraid to ask.
Her stomach grumbled again. She slipped her hand into her daddy's, holding tightly and shaking it gently. "Daddy?" she asked in a small voice. "I'm really hungry," she told him in an apologetic voice, as if she was sorry for being hungry.

---

Heather - Road - Others

Heather narrowed her eyes at DeSean's comment and his laughing. It would no secret that she and Hank did not get along and the reason behind was no secret, but she still did not appreciate joking about it at her expense.

"I'll agree with what makes sense," Heather said pointedly. "There's no reason to go to the coast unless we're sure there is a boat there. Otherwise we might strand ourselves between the walkers and the ocean. I also do not agree with traveling. What I really think we should do is find a place and make a permanent settlement there. Traveling too much and with no real destination is not safe in the long run. Travel wears down the body, makes a person tired and weak. A permanent settlement would provide stability, which is important for survival."

She knew her opinion would not be a popular one, but he had asked for it so she had given it. She turned her head to stare out the window in silence. she had said what she wanted, there was nothing else to add.

DeSean was getting to be a problem. She could recognize the signs. It wouldn't be long before there was a fight for the leadership role. At this point she wasn't sure who should be in charge. She sure as hell didn't want the job, but she didn't know who would be the best. They had survived so long under Hank so she would continue with that for now.
But, in all seriousness, if it came down to a fight between Hank and DeSean, Heather knew she'd side with Hank, if only because despite his faults he was very levelheaded. DeSean flew off the handle too much, jumped to conclusions and did things without really thinking about them. That kind of attitude was dangerous.
She was going to have to say something to Hank about this soon. She didn't want o start trouble, but Hank should be made aware of what was brewing. Maybe he could head it off and stop it before it became a really bad situation.

Lost in thought she didn't even notice they had stopped until she heard Hank's voice talking about the roadblock. DeSean had a point, but so did Hank. She wasn't so much concerned about noise as she was for how much forcing their way through would take out of them. They needed to conserve as much energy as possible, especially since they didn't know how long they would be traveling.

Heather got out of the car just as the decision was made that Hank would lead a small group to scout things about and DeSean would stay behind to protect everyone else. Going to the back of the SUV, Heather opened the trunk area and starting putting a few basic medical supplies in a backpack.
"I'm going with you," she informed Hank. "You'll need a medical person, just in case anything happens."
Her tone told him that she wasn't going to back down from her decision. She loved Aaliyah dearly but the girl was too young and inexperienced to be put in a tense situation that they might encounter, where she would have to work quickly and calmly. Heather was used to it, having worked several years in a high-trauma emergency room. Plus she was not about to send someone she cared about into a life-threatening situation. She would rather do it herself. Aaliyah was a doctor. She had more medical knowledge. She could do more complex procedures. That made her more important then Heather. Heather was expendable.

Tyler - Baton Rouge/Bingo Hall - Katie/George

Relief was quickly replaced with wariness. The man's story about the backpacks felt off to Tyler, though the guy sounded completely sincere as he relayed it. Tyler wanted to think more on it, but he instead took hold of Katie's arm and nudged her away. The man's offer of travelling together only made Tyler feel more wary. "Why do you want to? Two more mouths to feed, one a little girl... I don't see what you get out of this." Even with Katie complaining of hunger, Tyler didn't feel right taking anything more from this man. It'd been a long time since Tyler trusted easily, and it would be a long time before he ever did so again.

"These supplies... You just found them? What if they were someone else's? You haven't been here very long, so they could come back and find all of us stealing from them." Tyler shook his head and held his grip on Katie's shoulder. "Maybe that's your plan, to blame us when they get back, I don't know. Either way, you're gambling with my daughter's life." He knew he wasn't just being paranoid, he knew just about anything could go wrong at any time. You always planned for the worst, as that was the only way to survive.

---

Shannon - Campsite - Emma/Rob/Finch

As Shannon held James in her arms, she knew finding Valentina would be impossible at night. It had been foolish of her to wander out into the woods in search of the young girl. She should have died for that mistake. She must have had a guardian angel looking out for her, for it was the only way she could reason how she still lived when so many others did not. "James... let's go back now. We shouldn't be out here." She got to her feet and held the boy by the hand as they walked back in the direction of their camp site. Eventually, James let go of her hand so he could hold her while they walked. She felt him silently weep into her side.

As they neared the fishing line, Shannon could see Emma's flashlight looking over the camp, possibly looking for them. Shannon quickened her step and hopped over the fishing line, but that's when she realised something was wrong. She heard voices and shuffles, indicating that Emma wasn't alone. Shannon told James to get down as she cautiously stepped up next to the tent. She peered over the side to find Emma hugging a man. In the dark of night, Shannon could swear she saw the face of Rob, one of the men from Haywood. Another man lurked off to the side, speaking in a panicked German accent. Shannon's fear gave way to confusion as she stood up straight so that the two men could spot her. "Uh, we're not going to kill anyone," she managed to say. "Is this a friend of yours, Rob? ... And what are you doing here?"

George- Baton Rouge/ Bingo Hall- Tyler/Katie

George sighed as he looked down, nodding to himself. "I see your concern, mister. I had a little girl before all of this, and I don't blame you. If she was here with me I would probably be a lot more cautious as well, but please hear me out. I'm alone. I desperately want to get out of this stupid place and make the trek to find any remnants of civilization. I don't want to do that alone. I may be well armed, but one man isn't nearly enough. But then, somebody shows up at my shelter digging for supplies. They're obviously in need of food and drink, and possibly ammunition. All of which I have. In other words, we both have what the other needs..."

George let out a small cough, and scratched the back of his neck. "...Now if you still don't trust me after what I've just said, then by all means, walk right out that door. There'll be no peep from me.". He understood what Tyler was going through, and he respected the man's sense of protection towards his daughter. George was just a little afraid that Tyler wouldn't even consider his offer.

George- Baton Rouge/ Bingo Hall- Tyler/Katie

George sighed as he looked down, nodding to himself. "I see your concern, mister. I had a little girl before all of this, and I don't blame you. If she was here with me I would probably be a lot more cautious as well, but please hear me out. I'm alone. I desperately want to get out of this stupid place and make the trek to find any remnants of civilization. I don't want to do that alone. I may be well armed, but one man isn't nearly enough. But then, somebody shows up at my shelter digging for supplies. They're obviously in need of food and drink, and possibly ammunition. All of which I have. In other words, we both have what the other needs..."

George let out a small cough, and scratched the back of his neck. "...Now if you still don't trust me after what I've just said, then by all means, walk right out that door. There'll be no peep from me.". He understood what Tyler was going through, and he respected the man's sense of protection towards his daughter. George was just a little afraid that Tyler wouldn't even consider his offer.

Tyler - Baton Rouge/Bingo Hall - George/Katie

Tyler stared at the man, his face almost contorted into a glare. After a long, tense moment, his features softened and Tyler closed his eyes. This man sounded lonely. Tyler had heard it many times before. Brad had been the loneliest one, hadn't he? "Then I suggest we don't stay here," Tyler eventually said. "My concern is still valid. Someone had to have left those supplies, so we'll have to assume someone will be back to get them. They may come looking for us, but at least they won't find us waiting here for them." He moved away from Katie to kneel down before the backpacks. "Tell me what's where and tell me what you want to bring. We'll sort it out and carry what we can." He paused to look up at George. "I'll help carry your supplies so that me and my daughter can have what we need to survive, nothing more. That's all this is for now. If you touch or even look at my daughter funny, then we'll have a problem."

As Tyler began to scan through the backpacks, he gestured for Katie to help them sort it all out. "My name is..." Thomas? Tyler? What name was he supposed to give now? "... Tyler. And my daughter's name is Katie."

---

Danny - Outpost - Scouts

The sky above was grey and dull, but Danny found an overwhelming satisfaction in staring up at it nonetheless. They were living in an apocalypse, something one would usually associate with fire and brimstone falling from the sky, or a land ravaged beyond recognizable. Yet even despite the sickness and the biters, the sky was still the same, sometimes blue, sometimes grey. It was calming to know that no matter how crazy things got, Danny could always look upward and find something familiar to him.

Elliot, beside him, suddenly laughed. Danny looked down and gave the boy a quizzical look. Elliot shook his head and raised his hands. "You were looking hypnotized."

Danny smiled to himself. "No, I was just thinking," he said. They had finally let Elliot back on the wall. The early morning was a good opportunity for Danny to hop up there himself so that he could talk with his friend. Some people still didn't want Elliot being a watcher, but no one would say anything now that Elliot was one of the people to take down the big bad Reggie. Danny would keep silent about what Myriah told him, if only for Elliot's sake.

"Were you thinking about your girlfriend?" Elliot looked amused as he expressed the sign name he and Danny had come up with for Shannon. Though sign names were to be agreed upon by the individual themselves, both boys had believed Shannon to be dead at the time, and she had come up enough in conversation that Danny had felt it would be easier for them.

Danny rolled his eyes. "No, not at the moment. It's not like that, anyway. Me and her, we--" He stopped himself, unsure how to sign what he wanted to say. Hell, he wasn't even sure he could put it into words either. "... Whatever, my mind was on more important matters. Some people still look at me weird over Thomas, you know. I vouched for the guy, but they didn't suspect anything either! A bunch of assholes--"

Elliot held out his hand in a stopping gesture. "None of us knew what he was planning. He helped us figure out what kind of man Reggie was and everyone was grateful for that. So we..." Elliot paused and looked downward for a moment. "I know how it feels, Rudy. Don't worry. I know you're strong, so you'll be fine."

Danny nodded and crossed his arms. Letting out a deep breath, he looked beyond the wall, his eyes eyeing the spaces between the trees. There had been no biters wandering nearby this morning. That could only mean good things for the scout mission later that day.

A tap on his shoulder caused Danny to flinch. He looked back toward Elliot who apparently was still carrying on the conversation. Sometimes, Danny forgot that Elliot never spoke at all. Danny had become a lot better at reading sign language than a few months ago and sometimes it weirdly felt like Danny was hearing Elliot's voice inside his head. Danny had heard Elliot cry out a few times before, but he wondered if Elliot's voice really sounded like the voice in his head.

"I would have left if not for my brother. There was nothing here but people who think of me as a liability. You and Myriah have become dear friends of mine, but I didn't want to live around that any longer." Danny moved and opened his mouth to respond, but Elliot put out his hand again. "Wait until I'm done. I would have left, but Richard would rather me be safe behind walls than out there risking my life. I hate to admit it, but it can sometimes be difficult for me out there. I'd had to rely on Richard and others more times that I would have liked. Yet, if Richard was out there and I was here, I would leave immediately, no matter the risks and no matter who I'd be leaving behind."

Elliot paused for a long moment, and Danny had no idea what to say. "But, if you guys needed me..."

"Who do you think we are? Myriah and I don't need anyone's help. Shannon is like a sister to you, isn't she? She's your family, or so you've led me to believe. What you should be doing is finding her. Outpost is not the place it once was. You would be better off with her."

Stillness. Danny was at a loss for words. He slowly began to nod, as he turned to head back to the ground. Elliot was right, but Outpost was still home, wasn't it?

***

It was to be a regular scout mission, but what was 'regular' had changed now that Sylar was in charge. With many cleared paths into the city and The Pub now being used as a way station of sorts, getting into the city was much easier now than it had been when Reggie was in charge. While Sylar and Enrique disagreed on a few things, they both at least were agreed that they needed to keep to the city for supplies. Metairie was smaller and simply not as viable for supply runs any longer.

Danny fell in with the scouts as they geared up for their trek. They'd moved out from the scout cabins and were now stationed at Outpost's gates. While everyone deferred to Sylar, it was clear watching them that the scouts had formed little cliques and tended to associate only within them. The core group of longtime veterans, containing Lucas, Aoife, and Jerry, were unfortunately the smallest group after the events from a month ago. Alex was also a part of the group as no one really shared Reggie's views on the guy's ability. Danny had to admit that Alex was probably more competent than himself, if only when it came to firearms. The next group were the newest scouts, the people who had joined within the last month. They tended to crowd around Sylar and didn't like Enrique much for his reputation and his strict training methods. The third group were in the middle in terms of their size. They had been the people who had joined when Enrique was in charge of them almost 24/7. They viewed Enrique's strict training as tough love, and the majority of them respected the man, even if it made Danny feel sick.

The last group wasn't really a group at all. They were fringe members who were either indifferent to Sylar and Enrique, or the few that had joined during the strange week where Sam's murder was being investigated. Danny felt a part of this 'group' nowadays, despite his status as one of the longest running scouts. Like Enrique, Danny had been a big supporter of Thomas, but unlike Enrique, Danny had never been able to gather much camaraderie among the scouts. He felt close to the veterans, but Danny doubted they felt very close with him. Myriah hadn't given him the name Rudy for nothing.

As per usual, Enrique was doing some last minute drills while Sylar went over the mission itinerary. They were almost always at odds with each other, as if they both vied for the attention of the scouts. Danny had never missed Reggie so much as he did right now.

Alex Clark - Outpost

It had been a tumultuous month for Alex. Once he had woken up in Haywood a day and a half later, pale from bloodloss and shock from the shotwound in his side and the multiple stabbing wounds. He didn't remember much from the few days after that, but eventually he found himself on his feet again, and a scout again. Sylar, a man he respected, was now the leader of the scouts, Enrique, who had a bit of a questionnable reputation since the events in Haywood, was their drill sargeant nasty, as he recalled from the website TV tropes, back when there was internet. Oh, the internet. It had been ages since he had accessed the internet. How strange life went. However, he had learned from the events at Haywood. He had learned to be even more careful of the people around him, and to never let himself be led astray again. To stay true to himself and not to let anyone use him for their own purposes so obviously. And he had learned that Reggie had been right. He was weak. He might've beaten a single man in a fight to the death, something that still haunted him to this day, but he nearly got himself killed in the process. He had to grow tougher, stronger, faster and smarter if he wanted to survive, and for that reason, combined with his desire to stay with the Scouts, he threw himself on Enrique's drills like noone in the entire Outpost did. The rifle in his hands felt comfortable now. Yes, Enrique's training was already showing in Alex near the end of the month, as his physical capabilities aswell as marksmanship skills were rapidly rising. However, nothing grew as fast as his confidence. He knew his greatest fear, to lose those around him and to die himself, and in the past he had always been too weak to save others, or himself for that matter. The solution had been to grow stronger, and here he stood. If he ever wanted to be able to save others, he had to believe in his own skills, something that was finally coming. His old pitchfork abandoned and replaced by a rifle, his trusted survival knife on his belt.

Outspost - Scouts

Now preparing for his first scouting mission in a long time, Alex checked his gear for the third time, just to be sure. The Scouts had grown considerably in numbers eversince the Haywood incident, and amongst them little groups had started forming. Much to his dismay, Alex wasn't truly a part of any of them. He knew the veterans pretty well, but they still saw him as a child in need of help, while the newer people were estranged by his determination and resulting solitude, and had refrained from befriending him much.

Aoife-Scouts

Aoife looked around for a second, Another mission. Aoife looked around to her fellow scouts. She tried not to look at Enrique, the fact that he had gotten a position was sickening. How could he lead a group of which he had murdered?

Her eyes landed on Rudy, she didn't know what to think of him. He had been a leading reason why the whole...thomas thing happened. But he seemed truly disgusted. If he was even going to stay. She had seen his...Friend? She didn't know. But she didn't come back with him. She didn't know the situation. But, She wanted to ask something.He probably wouldn't know. But, hell it would waste the small time. So for little time they had left Aoife came up to him, if not a little sneakily.

"Hey Rudy? You wouldn't know what the hell Matt does in his time? He's barely seen that much, and it's a bit strange...Do you have any idea? Not that you would know more then anyone else....Just...asking"

Rob-Woods-Emma,Finch,Shannon-James

Rob separated from Emma slowly, He walked over to the man who had been begging for his life. He gave his hand to him, "We're not going to kill you? Are you okay? You seem injured" Rob smiled at him as he gave his hand out, his head looked towards Shannon as she came in. His smiled widened, A group of people from Haywood it seems. He was happy they were all here. "Oh, I don't know this man....Actually what is your name" He asked the man. Before looking back up at Shannon.

"I...Left Haywood, After they were sure I wouldn't die immediately after I left. Haven't really...seen any person in a while. I was looking for more supplies, or to get away from the undead...I don't frankly remember...But uh, It's nice to see you"

Emma - The Woods

Emma pulled herself away from Rob, not completely sure what warranted the embrace she'd given him. Cheeks slightly red, she shrugged to Rob: she had no idea who the German guy was either. He looked relatively innocent and not very dangerous. However, she didn't want to take the chance that he was, indeed, hostile. In that case, she kept her gun ready to fire if need be.

She was relieved when Shannon and James retuned, but her face remained still and emotionless as she looked around at them. She saw that James looked very shaken up; she'd heard a scream from Shannon a moment ago, so she wondered if they'd been attacked by a walker. She glanced between, Shannon and Rob and the old man. She decided that she'd let Shannon and Rob deal with the man, so she wandered the the fish line at the end of the camp.

It was very faint, but she heard the groan of a walking corpse. A chill went down her spine as her eyes scanned the horizon for any sign of a walker. Out of nowhere, it began to rain, starting out in a sprinkle, but then building up. The girl hurried to her tent- which she now had to herself because Valentina was gone- or maybe she'd have to share with rob... Emma really didn't want to share a tent with him. It wasn't that she didn't like him, in fact she respected him greatly, but she... didn't exactly feel secure enough... not yet... maybe someday she'd open up, but not tonight...

Finch - The Woods
Finch looked up at the young man who appeared friendly enough.

"My name is Finch." The old man replied.

He tried moving his arm but was rewarded him with some of the worst pain he had ever experienced.

Finch yelped and grasped his right arm. "I think it's dislocated." he managed to gasp as tears began rolling down his face.

That's when the rain started.

A drop hit his nose... then his right glasses lense. Before he knew it Finch was laying in mud completely caked in filth. His suit all but ruined.

Rob-Woods-Emma,Shannon,Finch,James

Rob grinned as the rain started, well it wasn't good. But He liked the rain, though it wasn't good in any circumstance. But that was just him. He watched as Emma fled to her tent. Before shrugging and looking back at the man, who had just called himself Finch. "Well you can call me Rob....bert....Robert" He smiled as he heard Finch explain what was wrong. "Oh...Oh...I think, I think. I know How to fix this! It's like, you do the popping thing. Trust me here right okay" Rob suddenly bent to the ground as he took Finch's arm.

"I had a friend who could pop it in and out, So...this shouldn't be too hard.....but....Um, It'll probably hurt a lot...and also It's probably better too-" a Loud pop echoed. He jumped back, It would hurt a lot for Finch.

He turned around to Shannon, "She seems quite...Shy, Well...I mean, More...by herself?" He tilted his head, asking about Emma.

Sylar - New Orleans - Scouts

Sylar swore as the rain began to splash against the windshield of the Suburban SUV. In the passengers seat, Lucas sat with a map in his lap. They headed towards the three shops that Myriah had circled for them. In the back seats sat Aoife and Jerry. In the truck behind them was Allen, Phineas, Charlotte (otherwise known as charlie), and Zane. The four of them were newer scouts, but they were obedient to Sylar. Zane was barely a day over eighteen, but he had a good moral. Allen and Phineas were both good shots and Allen was almost 6'4. He wasn't lacking in weight, either. However, he was quite the clutz. Charlie was a good kid, she was young, about twenty-three, pretty blonde. Sylar was unsure about her joining the ranks, but he found that she was a faster runner than anyone except for Enrique.

They'd seen that a storm was comin' but they'd decided to take to take their chances with a run anyways. Sylar almost regretted it the instant they hit the New Orleans on ramp , leading them into the city. He glanced in his mirror, as Allen let the truck slide just a tad, and swore, slowing to a halt, lowering the window, and waving him to stop. They pulled up beside them, and Allen rolled down his window enough to yell through the rain. "Should we turn around?" He called. Sylar shook his head.

"Nah keep, goin'. It's bound to let up soon!" He replied, rolling up his window and turning back onto the road. The vehicles drove into a part of town that had defenitely seen better days; even before the apocalypse. It was what some people might reffer to as a "Ghetto" part of town. There was a small gas station, with a single walker roaming the lot. Sylar pulled to a halt, close to sidewalk by force of habbit. He quickly climbed out of the SUV, the rain drenching him. The walker's attention had been attained, as it started walking towards them. The man aimed is crossbow and nailed the biter right in the head. He retrieved his arrow, as his scouts followed him. He turned to Allen, Phineas, Charlie and Zane. He motioned for them to cross the street to a boarded up department store. The four of them obeyed, drawing their melee weapons. Sylar had the advantage of using his crossbow, but the others all carried loud firearms.

Sylar pushed open the door to the gas station, checking for immediate danger. The group pushed inside, checking each aisle for walkers; none presented themselves. "Make it quick, fellas." He commanded. The man went behind the counter, searching the drawers for a set of keys. When he found a ring of keys, he took it and threw it to Jerry. "Find out which key opens to stock closet." He ordered, and the man went to work. Sylar hopped over the counter and resumed, glancing the aisles. When Jerry found the key that fit, he announced his success, and Sylar joined him. He was pleased with the results; a lot of canned food, at least five water bottle packages.

It was when a shout came faintly from outside, a swear from someone. Sylar dashed to the window, viewing across the street. To his horror, Zane, Allen, Charlie and Phineas were battling to keep the doors of the department store closed. They were battling a group of walkers that banged on the wooden doors. "Lucas, Aoife, grab some boxes, Jerry c'mon we got to help them!" The two men sprinted out of the gas station and crossed the street. The rain had drastically increased, and Sylar could feel it smacking against his neck and hands. His hair was matted to his head, and Jerry was the same. Sylar pushed his shoulder into the door, a Jerry added his massive frame to the barricade. "We gotta bar it!" He shouted. Charlie temporarily left the door, going to the closest window. She gripped one of the 2x4's and, with great effort, pulled the board loose. Sylar maneuvered himself so the Charlie could slid the 2x4 between the handles. Before she could latch the second handle, the door exploded, sending them to the ground. Sylar swore aloud, "Go, go!" He glanced as Charlie tumbled to the ground, and he jumped to her side, helping her stand.

To his dismay, the path to the car was being blocked by the walkers. "C'mon, kid!" He shouted, pulling Charlie with him down the road. The cut through the Alley, and Sylar pointed to a rusted dumpster. "Jump in, I'll lead them away! Get to the car and circle around the block and meet me!" He commanded. Charlie climbed in and Sylar closed the hatch. Several walkers appeared in the street, coming to the alley. "Ayy!" He shouted, drawing them past the dumpster, and turned the corner. He cussed once again as several walkers blocked the other street exit. The back of the alley was the fence to the yard of a house, so Sylar shouldered his crossbow and climbed the fence, throwing himself over. He ran down the yard and on to the sidewalk, drawing the attention of the walkers in the Alley. He could see Charlie and the others getting to the cars, so he ran down the sidewalk, crossing the street to the next block. He dashed around the whole block, skidding to a halt. The winds were picking up, sending Sylar's shaggy hair all over his head and his jacket blowing frantically in the storm. The sound of thunder shook the air and a flash of light hit the sky.

He saw the Suburban skid around the corner, sliding on the wet pavement. He jumped into the passenger's seat as Jerry drove up, Charlie and Lucas in the back seat. He found the Aoife, Zane, Phineas and Allen had jumped into the truck and followed behind them. "We have to go further into the city, we can't lead that herd back to Outpost!" He stated, so Jerry drove into New Orleans.

-=About an Hour Later=-

The herd had fallen far behind, so Sylar gave the order to turn and head back towards Outpost. However, he decided that the Good Lord wasn't happy with them, as a bolt of lightning shattered the air, sending an approaching tree to the ground. Sylar swerved left hard, sliding across the street, and breaking hard on the side of the road, facing the direction they had just come from.

Sylar found that Allen had not been so fortunate as to miss the tree, as the truck slammed hard into the trunk of the old tree. Sylar jumped from the SUV, dashing the crashed truck. He saw that Allen was slumped forward, as was Charlie, who sat in the passenger's seat. Both's airbags had deployed, and apprently impacted them. He opened the driver's door and shook Allen roughly. He slid his finger to the man's neck, and profanity slipped from his lips. Allen was dead....

The back doors opened and and Aofie and Zane climbed out of the car. "Allen's not breathing, watch him, Zane!" Sylar crossed the car to Charlie's side. "Hey, kid, c'mon, kid!" He shook her roughly, and she moved, sending relief through him. "Sylar-" She winced as she moved her ankle. He saw that it was awkwardly bent away from the bone: that wasn't good... "I can't feel my leg..." She cursed.

"Take it easy kid, we'll help you." He coaxed, reached to her and sliding his arms under her. He lifted her with ease; he was quite strong and she was rather light.
He picked her out and pulled her from the car. "Zane, anything from Allen?" He asked. Zane and Allen had eased the man to the ground. "He's... he's dead..." Zane answered grimly. Charlie let out a small, grief-stricken groan. "Zane, you've got to do it. If not, you take Charlie, and I'll do it, but Allen was to good a man for us to let him turn." Zane nodded grimly, pulling out his gun. Sylar didn't mind him using a bullet in this case: they wouldn't be here long enough to attract any walkers. Zane's pistol fired and a bullet entered Allen's skull. The scouts all piled to the SUV, and Sylar lay Charlie in the back, giving her room.

They drove back towards the camp, no words being exchanged. They couldn't continue a run after losing a man like that...

Shannon - Campsite

She spoke softly to James, telling him to get inside Emma's tent and out of the rain. She assured him that they would look for Valentina in the morning, though she could not promise him that they would find her. The boy looked dismayed and shell shocked as he left her side. Then, Shannon rubbed at her arms and tightened the strings on her sweater as she watched Rob pop Finch's arm back into place. "We've been through a lot. After Haywood and Daniel, well..." She grimaced and stole a look back toward Emma's tent. "I know how she feels, and I don't expect her to be herself any time soon."

As the rain began to pick up, Shannon groaned to herself. This was not a night to be dealing with all of this. With Valentina gone, Shannon wasn't in the mood to speak with anyone. "If you two are stuck out here, then use my tent for tonight. James and I will sleep with Emma." She left the pair to hop into her tent so that she could gather her stuff. She made sure to grab James' small pack as well. "We'll talk in the morning," she said, returning to them. She pointed to her tent before heading toward Emma's and unzipping the entrance. She found both Emma and James asleep, though Shannon didn't know if they were just pretending. Either way, she tried to be discreet as she placed what she was carrying in the corner of the tent and made a place next to James.

She lay awake for a while, listening to the rain pelt against the tent. She thought of Valentina, lost and scared out in the storm. She also thought of Danny ever so briefly, wondering if he was okay.

***

The rain had stopped in the morning, but the sky maintained a dreary grey look. Shannon sat before the fire pit and gingerly touched at it with her foot. She would have to gather some more wood, but she certainly wasn't feeling up to it at the moment. Before anyone else had awoken, Shannon had wandered away from the camp in search of Valentina, but a horde had kept her heading too far outside the area. She was no outdoors person and had no experience with tracking individuals. As far as Shannon knew, the rain had washed out any sign of Valentina from their lives.

It was with a heavy heart that Shannon returned to camp to gives James the bad news. The boy had looked about ready to cry again, but managed to say that he wouldn't give up on her. Shannon agreed to go out with him again to search after everyone had gotten up. So, the pair sat beside the fire and nibbled at some of their supplies. Shannon ran a hand through her hair as she steeled herself for what she had to say. "James, we're going to try our best, but we may never find Valentina. I just need you... Need you to--"

"I know," he suddenly said, his eyes staring upward. "I need to prepare for the worst. I know. I just don't want her to turn out like mom and dad."

Shannon stared at him for a moment, but eventually nodded. If they never found Valentina at all, surely it would be better than finding her as a walker.

Enrique-Outpost- The remainders

Enrique pulled his coat tighter around him making his way to the kitchen. He felt the cold rain slam against his coat and his face, he had Colton at his side. The boy was loyal, even after Enrique told him to go on the mission he said he'd rather keep watch over the fort. Enrique smirked at the kid as they pushed through the rain, he pulled open the door and held it for Colton. Enrique pulled it closed, he shook his head and ran his hand through his hair pushing it back. He looked around and couldn't find Amanda, he have a friendly pat on the shoulder to Colton. Colton flashed a smirk and they moved further into the kitchen looking for Amanda, they saw her cutting various vegetables, which was rare for her. She was more the kind to cook meats of some kind.

"Hello mi amor," Enrique said spinning Amanda around and kissing her, she smiled and put her hands on his chest keeping him back a bit. Colton smirked and snagged a few slices of carrots.

"No kissing here, I'm working..." Amanda said turning back to her vegetables, "Besides shouldn't you be watching the walls and such, doing your jobs."

She flashed a fiegned angry look at Colton, which was followed by a laugh as he popped a carrot slice in his mouth. The kid was fun to have around even if he was a nuiscance at times, Enrique couldn't help but smile at the kid. He planted a kiss on Amanda's check and grabbed his pistol and slid it into his chest holster.

"I'll be needin this dear," he said comically as he motioned for Colton to follow him out. He had three other scouts at his disposal so he figured he could station them all on rotation at the walls and then have someone alternate being inside. Enrique took a position on the wall with a corner of a tarp over his head to keep the rain off his head, and shoulders. He was slowly pacing watching over the area outside of Outpost. He noticed a few stray corpses just milling about getting confused at the sounds of thunder. He would have liked to rush out there and cut some down but his leg was still sore, that and no one would hear him for some time with the wailing of wind and thunder. He kept walking along the wall slowly, he was hardly visible in the night unless you were looking for him. Enrique recalled his birthday was around this time, he himself knew the date but he couldn't tell what day it was today, he knew it was early to mid January and knew he had time to wait before he could say it was the 29th. He smiled and continued to rotate on his watch, it had been a long time since he'd though of his birthday. Or anything like that, anything to do with celebrating or happiness. It was strange for him, it had been all about training and killing and hordes and things of the such.

"Fucking apacolypse man," he said with a smirk walking along his route.

Danny - New Orleans - Scouts/Alex/Cody

"Why would I know what Matt gets up to?" Danny asked in response. He wasn't expecting anyone to speak with him before the mission started, especially not Aoife. Though they had both been a part of the scouts for a while, neither of them had often spoken to each other. Danny figured he gave out some sort of vibe, which he was sure he did, and he wasn't so great at speaking with people who he perceived to have an issue with him. "I'm not his friend, if that's what you were thinking." He tried not to make it sound mean. He even relented on the swearing, yet he couldn't relent on the coldness in his voice. After what Myriah had told him, Danny wanted nothing to do with Matt. Unfortunately, Danny couldn't openly acknowledge this, or Matt might catch on that Myriah told him. "Look, he just gets busy because of the council. Even Myriah sometimes disappears for a while when she gets busy."

He quickly left Aoife so that she couldn't ask further questions. No wonder he wasn't friends with anyone. Quickly, he fell in with the scouts talking to Sylar, who was discussing the group layout for the day. All Danny really wanted was to take his mind off of all the bullshit in his life these days, and a mission was just the thing he needed.

***

It had rained all throughout the night, but the morning had been dry, giving the scouts the impression that their day would be relatively clear of bad weather. Though the clouds turned more grey as the morning progressed, the winds didn't pick up in turn until both scouting groups were well into New Orleans. Danny and his group had left their car behind in order to commence their search on foot, leaving Cody behind to keep an eye on the vehicle. From there, the group proceeded routinely with a search of the entire street, searching each building and house for whatever supplies they deemed to be useful.

The wind picked up as they worked, slowly beginning to bend trees and blow away the garbage that always seemed to litter the post-apocalyptic world. The rain started up again as well, and when Danny looked outside to find the sky turning a sickly green color, he knew that they would have to cut their run short. He turned to the scout currently helping him clear the room, Alex, and pointed out the window. "Got real fuckin' bad real quickly. Take what you got back to the car and I'll go get the others." He nodded to Alex and grunted as he lifted his bag over his shoulder. He left the house to check out next door when a gust of wind nearly knocked him off his feet. He swore under his breath and ran across the lawn, his feet almost tripping over the grass that hadn't been cut in ages.

Bursting open the front door, his body already soaking wet, Danny yelled into the house. "Chris! Jamie! Get the hell down here! We gotta get going!" When no response came immediately, Danny let out a shaky breath and took a few steps outside. The wind caused the door behind him to slam violently into the wall, making him jump. "Shit!" This finally got the two men to come downstairs and stare at him quizzically. He pointed outside, giving them an annoyed look. "You're not fucking blind, are you? We have to get going."

Chris looked at Jamie, before shrugging. "I think we should stay inside then, Rudy. What's the point if we-"

Danny interrupted him with an annoyed grunt. "Then we don't know how long we'll be here. I'm not fucking staying here all night. We have to--" Another burst of wind entered through the front door, slamming the door against the wall once again. Rolling his eyes, Danny directed the pair outside to meet Alex. That was when they saw a small group of biters making their way from the end of the street in the direction of the car. They seemed unhindered by the gushing rain and billowing wind. Danny turned to Alex, who was outside of the house now. "We can't possibly take them out in this!" he yelled over the wind. "You take Chris and I'll take Jamie! We each go opposite sides of them and divide their attention!"

...

Katie - Baton Rouge - Tyler / George

Katie waited quietly while her daddy talked to the strange man. But soon she felt a familiar feeling welling up inside of her.
"Daddy?" she whispered, tugging on his sleeve. "Daddy? I have to go," she said, kind of embarrassed because of her sudden need.

She waited until he gave her permission then headed towards the back of the building. There was a restroom there. It smelled really bad, but desperate times...

After she was done Katie looked around, trying to find somewhere to wash her hands. Outside the broken window, she spotted a rain barrel that was full of water. She managed to climb out of the window to rinse her hands in the rain water. There was no soap so she hoped scrubbing in the rain water would be enough.

A small sound got her attention. It sounded like a weak meow. A kitty?
The 7 year old girl started hunting, forgetting that there might be more monsters or mean people around. The sound came again and Katie located the source under an abandoned car. She crawled under the car on her stomach to reach a ball of fur. It was a dead cat. Curled up against it were five smaller balls of fur, all dead except for one : a small black kitten with white feet and a white spot on his nose. He had big green/grey eyes and meowed pitifully.

"Poor kitty," Katie said, pulling it away from it's dead mother and cuddling it close as she crawled out from under the car. It was thin and weak and shivering, but Katie knew her daddy would know what to do to help him.

She ran back to the entrance of the building, calling for him. "Daddy! Look what I found!" she called excitedly, showing him the small kitten.

Tyler - Baton Rouge/Bingo Hall - George/Katie

When he found that Katie had been gone longer than he felt comfortable with, Tyler curtly told George that he'd be back in a moment and made his way for the 'Employees Only' door. He felt his pulse began to rise and his heart beat heavily against his chest. He stopped momentarily at the door, his mind flooding with images of Katie being hurt or maimed. He cursed himself for leaving her alone for even a second and threw open the heavy door, practically slamming it against the wall. It was then that he heard Katie's voice calling from behind him, back toward the entrance of the bingo hall. He turned around, relieved, but that relief soon made way for anger. He crossed the hall in long strides, his gaze narrowing in on the kitten in Katie's arms.

"Put that down, Katie," he demanded, his hand grabbing for her arm. Without much thought, he tried to pull the cat out of Katie's grasp. "Where were you? Something could have happened!" After the brief moment of hysteria, Tyler got hold of some of his senses and he stopped trying to get Katie to drop the cat. He lowered his voice so that George wouldn't hear them. "Where did you find it? You shouldn't have taken it because there's no possible way we can keep it."

Jacob Lancaster, Baton Rouge/Louisiana State Library

Jacob woke up in the back room of the library a little nest of books surrounded where he laid, "Good morning Bertrand, good morning Aristotle, and a special good morning to you Nietzsche." He said to the books splayed before him he picked up Fredrick Nietzche's book The Gay Science and tucked it away in his laptop bag and proceeded outside. The streets were empty but that didn't mean there wasn't someone nearby so Jacob ducked down a side street and proceeded down the street making sure to watch his back occasionally for anything that moved, at a nearby bingo hall his phone started going off, he picked it up and answered "Hello?" He asked aloud, the voice on the other end of the line belonged to his grandmother "Grandma is that you? I thought your house was overrun by those things." He continued ignoring the sound he was making he kept walking without paying attention and slammed into a rain barrel both it and him doubling over.

Hank/Floyd - On the Road

Floyd didn't even bother to ask why the young blonde woman didn't feel comfortable allowing him to borrow the crossbow. Instead, he crossed his arms and walked forward to the blockage in the road. Hank bit his bottom lip and felt disappointed with Imogen's decision. But again, he understood why she did what she did. He understood that some of the campers refused to believe Floyd as one of their own. He had only been with them for a month - not long enough to trust some would say. But in Hank's eyes, he had definitely earned his place - so far at least.

Anyhow, there was no time to argue with her nor attempt to convince her to trust Floyd. Hank respected her decision even though he didn't like it. It wasn't for him to chose for her, he wasn't anybodies father or commander, he was just a leader - or attempted to be one at least. And there was also Heather, the one who seemed to always go against his orders. She decided it'd be best if she tagged along, another decision Hank didn't agree with, but had no say in. He knew that if he said anything against it, she'd come back with a stronger reason to accompany them. She was like that - one step ahead just in case.

"Here" Hank called out to Floyd, walking towards the man. He extended the rifle DeSean gave to him and passed it on to the redneck. "I don't use guns" he stated, showing the man his axe. The reason for his ways was unknown, not even DeSean knew why Hank refused guns. There had been one incident in his past that scared Hank of his own abilities with a weapon. But that's a story for another time.

Anyhow, with only two people actually armed with projectile weapons, Hank hoped nothing would go wrong. Heather had her pistol and Floyd the rifle. Seth only had a machete, nobody trusted him with guns, he was too rash at times, letting his fear get to him. Arming a person like that would only bring problems. But regardless their status, the group had to make sure the path was safe enough to cross. There was no way Hank would allow the entire group to run into a hoard of walkers unexpectedly.

"Forty-five minutes!" Hank called out to DeSean as he followed Floyd into the array of broken down vehicles. Soon enough, the four scouts were now surrounded by small buildings and parked vehicles. DeSean and the others had reversed farther out to get away from the little town - just to be on the safe side. Hank and Floyd led Heather and Seth at the time. The entire place was dead quiet, only the sound of their footsteps were heard. This extreme silence made Hank a little uneasy, Floyd on the other hand looked calm and relaxed. The man held the rifle as though he'd been trained with one since birth. Without further ado, Hank decided to act. "We should make sure the buildings are secure, we don't want these deadbeats to come at us from all angles" he started, turning to Floyd as he pointed to his right. "You and Seth check those buildings over there. Don't go inside, just get a quick view from the windows, we don't want to start unnecessary trouble."

Floyd nodded and turned towards Seth. "C'mon" he said in a whisper, cocking his rifle and heading in the direction of the buildings. In the meantime, Hank turned towards Heather. "Your with me" he stated, not making eye contact.

On the other side of the spectrum, DeSean and the group behind awaited as the time ticked. It had only been about seven minutes, but it seemed like an eternity. Jennifer sat in the SUV brushing her long luxurious hair. DeSean just sat in the driver's seat with the door open, looking at his watch. He wasn't concerned with what the others were doing at the moment, but made sure to keep an eye on them from time to time. "He'll be back, don't worry" Jennifer said as she looked at herself through the passenger sun visor. "I know baby, I'm just concerned about that redneck f*cker. I still don't trust'em. What if he-" he started, suddenly cut off by an unexpected drop of water that clashed with the vehicle's windshield. Then suddenly three more appeared to cloud his sight. As DeSean stared towards the sky, he could see hundreds of raindrops coming his way. "Everyone get inside your vehicles! Lock them and stay armed until it stops raining!" he commanded, closing the door and windows to the SUV. He locked all the doors and used a small towel to dry his head and shoulders. He could see as the rain raced towards the city. "Damn" he cursed.

"Damn!" Hank cursed, his shoulders being soaked as he rushed towards the buildings with Heather by his side. He tried to open the door to one of them but it was locked. "Watch out" he told Heather, having her move aside as he used his axe to burst the glass door. It was dark inside, but light enough to see. He made sure to go in first and had Heather follow after he secured the entrance. Once she was inside, he looked back into the street and attempted to spot Seth and Floyd. "Damn, I can't see them can you?"

The rain had become so fierce within seconds of its first impact. It was as though a hurricane just popped out of nowhere. Well, it wasn't as bad as a hurricane, but it was so much rain it made it difficult to see in distances. On the other side of the street, Floyd and Seth had had the same idea as Hank, taking refuge within a building. "We'll stay here till' this passes" Floyd exclaimed, looking through the drapes. The two had entered a small local orthodontist office. "We have to go make sure they're alright though don't we?" Seth asked, shivering off the rain. Floyd didn't respond though, just kept staring out through the window as though he'd seen something. "What is it?" Seth asked, getting closer to the redneck. Quickly, Floyd rose his balled fist signaling Seth to stop moving and be quiet. He closed the drapes slowly and backed away from the window. Slowly the two men moved behind the front desk, Floyd pointing at the door with his rifle. Seth laid on his ass completely hidden. "Is it walkers?" he whispered at Floyd. Floyd turned to Seth. "No" he whispered, still pointing his gun at the door.

On the other side of the street, Hank looked through the building, looking for anything that might come in handy later. Apparently they had entered a paper company, so not many things seen at the moment were necessities. It was all basically paper, printers, copiers, and etc. "Find anything useful?" Hank asked Heather, looking through some documents that had nothing to do with anything. "Yeah, I found something" a deep voice responded. Hank turned up with his axe in his hand, but was met with the back of a shotgun, dropping the man to his back. Another man pointed his rifle at Heather, telling the woman to get on her knees and drop her stuff. There were a total of four, all seemed very funky looking. "We gon' eat tonite ain't we Billy?!" one of the four said excitedly. He was basically jumping up and down with a big grin on his face. "I don't know John, I might want this one for myself" Billy responded, grabbing his groin as he licked his lips at the sight of Heather. He still had his gun pointed at her in order to keep her on check. "This one's down for the count. For now at least" called out the other large man - large meaning fat. "Once it stops raining we can head back" the fourth man said affirmatively. "Yes capt'n" John responded with that same creepy smile.